The Power of Rising Early

Image Source: Twitter Profile

Retired US Navy SEAL Jocko Willink has a huge following on social media. Log on to this former seal’s Twitter and chances are you are going to start seeing plenty of pictures of his watch when he gets up and gets ready to take on the day. There are even better chances that the watch is going to read around 4:30 A.M.

Even though Willink is no longer an active Navy SEAL, he bases his entire life on the strict scheduling concepts he learned during his time with the Navy. Willink credits his ongoing success in life after the SEALs with getting up early and getting ready to take on the day. This is something that he details in his book “Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win.” Willink co-wrote the book with his former platoon commander Leif Babin.

According to Willink, in the world of the SEALs, discipline was the difference between being a good seal team and being an exceptional SEAL team and it all starts with getting up early, with the top tier SEALs always rising before everyone else.

Today, Willink teaches this type of discipline to employees, managers and corporations around the world, through his work with Echelon Front. However, you don’t have to be a Navy SEAL or even a top-tier executive at a major company in order to start applying this “early to rise” discipline to your everyday life, and the benefits of getting up early aren’t just for the top-tier of the Navy SEALs either. Here are some of the best benefits of getting up early that can start changing your life for the better.

Waking Up Early Can Help You Keep a Healthy Diet

Most individuals who tend to sleep in late, also find themselves rushed in the morning after attempting to savor every spare minute they can in bed. These individuals also are significantly more likely to skip breakfast in the morning. Studies have found that individuals who get up early are more likely to eat a healthy, balanced breakfast and aren’t as likely to overeat at lunch. A healthy breakfast also helps you build good eating habits throughout your day and can help you get the nutrients you need all day long.

Waking Up Early Can Enhance Your Productivity

If you want to be as productive as possible, then getting up early may be your key to success. A Harvard study on productivity, personality and early rising found that those who get up earlier are more likely to have long-range goals for themselves and feel like they get more accomplished during the day. Those who get up early also tend to have better planning, goal-setting and decision making skills, and have more energy throughout the day to accomplish what they want to do.

Waking Up Early Gives You a Chance to Get More Done

When you wake up early, you have the opportunity to get more things done off your “list” at a time when you can focus, and don’t have to worry about distractions. Imagine how much you could get done, how many emails you could check, how much focus you would have if you were able to work when no one else was awake? If you get up and get going in the morning you can get so much more done without distractions in your way, as you watch your growing “to do” list gets more and more checks on it.

Waking Up Early Helps Improve The Quality of Sleep You Already Get

Getting between 7-8 hours of sleep is extremely important and it comes with a number of great benefits that can drastically improve your life. Those who get up earlier are not only more likely to get enough sleep every night, but they are much more likely to have established sleep routines, making it easier for them to get up at the same time every morning, and fall asleep at the same time every evening. The result is better sleep each and every night.

If you want to make a resolution for 2017 that will actually make a complete difference in your life, consider taking a page out of former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink’s bookand challenge yourself to get up earlier every day. You will be surprised by all you can get done while the rest of the world stays in bed.

2 thoughts on “The Power of Rising Early”

Thanks for the blog post, Tim! I admire who you are asa person, father, and educator… although Ive never met you…LOL!!

I’ve recently taken yours and Jocko’s advice and begin to awake at 4am weekdays to take care of “my business”, so I am ready to start my day at 0430-0500!

Last July I was 230lbs, drinking daily, and smoking pot every waking moment. I finally made a life-changing decision to start the Keto lifestyle and stop drinking…cold-turkey! (Yup…I did have some side-affects and the Keto flu, BUT that did not stop me from attaining my Goal!). My Goal was to be 50 and FIT! My 50th birthday is April 13, 2019! I was also a Project Manager/Senior Engineer at Verizon Wireless…building cell sites. At the time, I didn’t realize what God has in store for me and my wife (that’s a whole ‘nother story! ).

Anyway…I started going to the gym in late October 2018 with my wife and three daughters! It had been soooo long since Id been to the gym or even desired to go! I was determined!!

December rolled around and I was enjoying the Keto lifestyle, not drinking, exercising, and working at Verizon. Then….Verizon offered all of its employees an opportunity of a lifetime! For all Wireless employees with over one year of tenure AND wanted to leave the company, Verizon would provide a lump-sum payment of three weeks of pay for every year worked AND healthcare benefits…up to a maximum of 20 years or 60 weeks of payroll! WOW, I said!!! I have 25 years in my pocket! WOW! They also lowered the age of retirement eligibility to 73 from 75 (age + Time of Service)! WOW, I said!! Let’s see, I’m 49 and I’ve been with the company for 25 years!!! Dude…I can retire from a 25-year career at Verizon Wireless with a lump-sum of 14 months payroll, 300 hours of banked vacation, full 2018 Bonus, full pension, rollover my Verizon Fidelity investments into an IRA, and, and, and…

Although it was difficult to say goodbye to the family and friends I’d grown close to over the years…I was both confident and sure of my decided and my wife was wholly supportive!! That was December 28th!

In late January 2019, 1/23 to be exact, I came across Tim Sykes (can’t recall where)…but I was intrigued!

There’s definitely more to this story, but the long-short of it is this:
*I’m semi-retired
*I’ve lost over 50lbs since mid-July 2018
*I’m in the best shape of my life!
*I’ve been sober for almost 8 months
*I stopped smoking pot (although everyone around me indulges in both pot and drinking!)
*I am a full-time Penny Stock Trader
*I knew next to nuttin’ about stocks, charts, candles, etc…34 days ago!
*I’m a Multi-Millionaire in Training! AND I have the right Mentors, Attitude, and Family Support to Succeed!!!